Critical interpretive synthesis for informing collection decisions

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to report on the use of the critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) method as a potential tool for aiding library selection decisions. Design/methodology/approach CIS was used to model research trends in the intersection of journalism and popular culture using presentation titles collected from five years of Popular Culture Association/American Culture Association Conference programs (2007‐2011). Findings CIS was determined to be effective for focusing a subject selector's current awareness activities. Research limitations/implications Considering the limited information provided in the PCA/ACA programs, the researchers were required to analyze the intent of many of the presentations from their titles and the titles of the sessions where they were given. Originality/value CIS is a flexible means of systematically producing explanatory theories directly from the data that, while new to library and information science, is useful for modeling cutting‐edge research for current awareness activities.